Dionysus and Chorus (Bacchai 2002)

Performance image showing Greg Hicks (Dionysus) and William Houston (Pentheus) in Peter Hall's 2002 production of the Bacchai. The designer, Alison Chitty, dressed William Houston’s Pentheus in a long, blue-grey military coat, black boots and gloves. A gold-ribboned lanyard hangs from his shoulder completing the formal picture of a commander and King. Pentheus’ soldiers lurk behind him in boiler-suit uniforms with black helmets and visors of riot police. The order they impose is an extension of Pentheus’ rejection of sensuality: the young Dionysus' curls are cut and he is bound in chains.